The Saint (TV series)

The Saint (TV series)
Company type	Television series
Industry	Television production
Founded	1962
Founder	Robert S. Baker, Roger Moore (co-producer from later series)
Fate	Ended
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom, United States, international syndication in over 60 countries
Key people	Roger Moore (star and co-producer), Robert S. Baker (producer)
Products	Television series episodes, DVDs, feature-length films from episodes
Parent	ITC Entertainment

The Saint is a British crime drama television series that was broadcast on ITV from 1962 through 1969. The show is adapted from the character Simon Templar, originally created by Leslie Charteris in the 1920s. Roger Moore starred as Templar, a vigilante figure who assists individuals beyond the reach of standard law enforcement, frequently employing unconventional tactics. His primary foil, Chief Inspector Claud Eustace Teal, often acts as his official opponent but regularly permits Templar’s actions when they serve a greater purpose.

In 1966, NBC picked up the series as a summer replacement, capitalizing on its strong syndication success in the United States. The program concluded with episodes broadcast in colour during prime time on both sides of the Atlantic. It gained worldwide acclaim, airing in more than 60 countries and generating profits exceeding £350 million for ITC. With close to 120 episodes produced, it stands just behind The Avengers as one of the most extensive British television productions within its genre. Notably, the colour episodes were initially shown in black and white in the UK until ITV introduced colour transmissions.

Series overview

Roger Moore, who had previously sought to secure the production rights to the Saint novels, eventually became co-producer alongside Robert S. Baker when the series transitioned to colour under Bamore Productions. A significant portion of Moore’s wardrobe featured in the series was his personal clothing.

Moore was reportedly approached twice to portray James Bond during the run of The Saint, but he declined due to his television obligations. He ultimately accepted the role in 1973 after completing ITC’s The Persuaders! alongside Tony Curtis.

Recurring cast members included Ivor Dean as Templar’s adversary, Inspector Teal, who appeared starting from the episode "Iris," replacing previous actors in that role. Teal’s character was depicted as more inept than in Charteris’s original novels. In French episodes, Templar also encountered Colonel Latignant (Arnold Diamond), a less capable figure absent from the source material. Teal featured in 26 episodes, while Latignant appeared in six.

Initially presented as a straightforward detective series, The Saint gradually incorporated elements of espionage and fantasy, shifting from black-and-white to colour midway through its run. Early episodes included Moore breaking the fourth wall by directly addressing viewers; this was replaced by voiceover narration after moving to colour episodes. The opening sequence often concluded with an animated halo appearing above Templar’s head as he faced the camera, followed by a title card depicting a haloed stick figure symbolizing the Saint.

Numerous episodes were adaptations of Charteris’s stories; however, original scripts became more prevalent over time. The episode "Queen's Ransom" marked both the first colour installment and the first not derived from Charteris’s writings. Many later scripts were novelized and published under The Saint series name, usually credited to Charteris but authored by other writers.

Templar’s iconic car was a white Volvo P1800 bearing the license plate ST1. Volvo provided this vehicle for promotional purposes after Jaguar declined to supply an E-type. The Volvo P1800 remains strongly linked with the franchise and has been popularized through miniature replicas produced by Corgi.

Unlike contemporaneous shows such as The Avengers, which initially used videotape, The Saint was filmed entirely on film from its inception, facilitating international syndication opportunities. The black-and-white episodes were syndicated in the United States by NBC affiliates during 1967–68; subsequently, 32 of 47 colour episodes aired on NBC between 1968 and 1969 and have since enjoyed widespread syndication. Most seasons are available on DVD across North America.

Two two-part stories from season six, "Vendetta for the Saint" and "The Fiction Makers," were re-edited into feature-length films for European cinemas and continue to be broadcast on late-night American television; these are also available on DVD.

In the United Kingdom, colour episodes have been shown on ITV4, while black-and-white installments have aired on Talking Pictures TV and That's TV. In the United States, channels including FamilyNet, RTV, and MeTV have aired both versions of the series. In March 2015, CBS-owned Decades presented an extensive marathon of every episode during its launch schedule. Since April 2018, This TV has regularly featured blocks of episodes on Saturday mornings and weekday slots, excluding the two-part feature-length stories.

Filming locations

Within the television series, the Saint's home is set in London (specifically at 53 Grosvenor Mews in series 2, episode 2), with storylines spanning various parts of London, the UK, and abroad. The full production took place at Associated British Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, relying predominantly on studio work rather than extensive location filming. This was accomplished through the use of elaborate studio sets combined with pioneering blue-screen techniques, painted or projected backgrounds, and rotating painted scenery to simulate movement. Notable exceptions include a significant location shoot on Malta for the episode "Vendetta for the Saint." For distant shots involving the Saint entering buildings or driving by, doubles were employed. Additionally, some scenes were captured on-site in North London, such as Embassy Lodge on Regents Park Road NW3, which appears in episode 5-15 titled "The Persistent Patriots."

Fan club

An official fan organization exists for The Saint and its literary works, initially established by Leslie Charteris. This club was guided by honorary presidents including Sir Roger Moore (prior to his passing) and Ian Ogilvy, who took on the role of Templar in the 1970s revival series Return of the Saint. The fan club actively supports activities like announcements of new book publications and updates related to the series.

Episodes

The black-and-white episodes were produced in two phases: the first phase comprised 39 episodes (broadcast as two separate series), followed by a second phase containing 32 episodes (also divided into two series). The fifth series introduced colour episodes with 32 installments. A subsequent colour series consisted of 15 episodes featuring a refreshed theme tune that set them apart from earlier colour entries.

Episodes such as "The Fiction Makers" from series five were re-edited into two parts with the updated theme music for inclusion in series six; similarly, "Vendetta for the Saint" underwent this treatment. During the airing of series five, broadcasts caught up with production schedules, leading to reruns of some black-and-white episodes to postpone new colour episodes—although this had minimal effect on viewers since colour episodes were initially broadcast in black and white. Only 26 planned episodes aired during their initial run; three previously unaired episodes along with "The House on Dragon's Rock" (which was considered inappropriate for children in certain areas) were later added to the series six lineup.

Home media

A&E Home Entertainment, under license from Carlton International Media Limited, distributed all episodes on DVD for Region 1. They released two monochrome collections—one containing three discs and another four discs—with each disc featuring four complete, unedited episodes, totaling 28 black-and-white episodes. These editions were meticulously restored from original 35 mm film sources and digitally remastered in full colour, presented according to both original British and American broadcast sequences. The colour episodes were made available across seven two-disc sets as well as a comprehensive 14-disc "megaset." Episodes originally presented as two-parters are available only in their feature-length movie versions.

A&E also issued the original monochrome episodes under the title The Saint: The Early Episodes, which were remastered from original film materials.

On 26 May 2015, Timeless Media Group released The Saint: The Complete Series on DVD for Region 1—a comprehensive 33-disc collection encompassing all 118 episodes plus additional bonus content. Later that year, they issued a separate 10-disc set containing series one and two (October), followed by series three and four released in January 2016.

For Region 2 audiences, Network Distributing made available all black-and-white episodes in an 18-disc set alongside a 14-disc collection covering all colour episodes. The colour compilation includes theatrical versions of extended stories, original two-part formats, a 40-minute documentary featurette, and isolated musical scores. Previously, Carlton Video had distributed four discs containing the first 39 monochrome episodes across ten discs. In France, TF1 Vidéo launched five multi-disc collections encompassing all 118 episodes in both French and English languages.

In Region 4, Umbrella Entertainment issued the complete series throughout Australia via five boxed sets consisting of six discs each (PAL format without region coding). These releases include special features such as audio commentaries recorded in 2004 with participation from cast and crew members including Roger Moore.

Revivals and Remakes

The series saw a revival in 1978 with Return of the Saint, featuring Ian Ogilvy portraying Simon Templar.
During the 1980s, two additional revival efforts took place: an American pilot titled "The Saint in Manhattan" aired in 1987, starring Australian actor Andrew Clarke, followed by a 1989 UK series consisting of six feature-length episodes led by Simon Dutton.
Although Roger Moore did not return to the role after 1969, his voice was heard on a car radio in the 1997 movie The Saint, which starred Val Kilmer. This film significantly deviated from the original novels and television adaptations, with rights secured from Robert S. Baker, producer of earlier versions.
In September 2009, Vancouver’s Brightlight Pictures announced plans for a new television adaptation starring Scottish actor Dougray Scott as Simon Templar; however, this project did not come to fruition. Additionally, James Purefoy was considered for a 2011 remake that ultimately did not proceed.
A further attempt was made in December 2012 involving Roger Moore as producer, with Adam Rayner cast as Simon Templar and Eliza Dushku as Patricia Holm. Both Moore and former lead Ian Ogilvy were also set to appear. A pilot episode was completed by early 2013 but awaited broadcast in the United States. After undergoing reshoots in late 2015, this pilot was re-edited into the television film The Saint, which was released online on 12 July 2017, shortly after Moore’s passing.

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